Gingerbread
by UnderdogHero
Summary: Kiri has a few questions for Joker, and what better time to ask than when preparing for a party?


A/N: Three Christmas fics in one year, what the hell am I thinking? Oh, right, I'm not. Maybe that's why I make so many mistakes...

Morale of the story, kids: think before you act. I really need to look into getting that tattooed on my arm or something- see what I mean?

But here's the... one of three fics for this year. I wasn't too satisfied with how last year's fic went for Kiri's birthday, so with the new information we have from Hundred, I think this one will be a lot better.

This one is going up early, because - for once - I'm going to be out for Christmas, and I don't think I'll be able to upload it on the day of. I can't exactly carry the whole laptop all the way to my aunt's house, despite what my mom might think.

 **.**

"Hey Gao, you said it was tonight, right?"

...

"Yeah, I can make it. I just need to finish up here."

...

" _No,_ you don't have to pick me up. I can get there myself."

Kiri laughed airily, rolling his shoulder slightly, careful not to drop his phone with the movement. He adjusted his grip on the bag of icing, twisting the opening tighter when some threatened to leak out.

"I'll be there in about two hours, there's only a little left to decorate." He said in response to the other boy's question. "But it'll take a while to get there, so I'll need to leave soon."

He waited for his friend to finish giving him directions - _again_ \- to his house, where his family's Christmas party was being held, before saying goodbye and hanging up. Or rather, Gao hung up, while Kiri finally straightened his neck and let the phone fall onto his lap. He sighed, looking back at the gingerbread house in front of him, then to the bag in his hands.

Why did he agree to this again?

Even after his awakening, he'd stayed at the lodge. Probably because it would be weird to just up and disappear, but it was also a convenient place to keep an eye on Grangadez while also having a place to live.

It seemed Joker was taking care of his "relation" to the owners, seeing as he was no longer unconciously keeping up the illusion of his "father".

Which is why he'd agreed to help decorate the sitting room and decorate the dinner's centerpiece; a gingerbread house as big as his head.

Even though it technically wasn't a secret that he was an Omni Lord - Paruko was broadcasting to the world, it's a wonder there are people that _don't_ know - it still irked him a little that the owners were giving him childish jobs. Before his awakening, he probably would have been overjoyed at the idea of being given such a task. But now...

A high-ranking monster over a millennia old, decorating a candy house. It almost sounded ridiculous, if he hadn't seen himself in the mirror every day.

But he did, and it served as a reminder how little he'd aged since becoming human, if even at all.

"Joker?" He said quietly, careful not to attract the attention of the adults in the other room. There was a soft, icy breeze that sent a chill down his spine - more out of habit than actually feeling cold - and he knew his Buddy was behind him.

"What is it, Kiri?" The Dungeon World monster asked, lifting his blade in the direction of the house in front of them, a motion Kiri assumed was to tell him to continue.

"I was just wondering..." He said, leaning towards the table to continue decoration the roof. "Will I ever age?"

There was a soft _clink_ that told him Joker was tilting his head, probably giving him a sad look.

"You have aged, Kiri. Thousands of years worth of wisdom-"

"You know that's not what I mean." He cut the monster off frustratedly, squeezing out a little too much icing. He quickly realized his mistake, grabbing the spatula next to him and scraping off the excess. "... Sorry."

The sound of Joker's armor scraping against the floorboards was heard, and he looked up to see his Buddy awkwardly pulling out a chair, taking a seat next to him.

"It's fine, you have every right to be upset." He said, reaching out and poking at the house, fixing what Kiri couldn't with his fine blades. "I understand you must be frustrated, thinking you won't be able to grow with your friends, and how you'll have to say goodbye one day."

He paused, glancing at the boy briefly, continuing to fix minor errors in his icing.

"But I'm afraid there's not much we can do. As Miserea, your physical appearance will not change, no matter how long you live."

"I'm taller when I transform though." Kiri pointed out blandly. "Why don't I stay that way."

Joker pulled his blade back, giving Kiri a long, analyzing stare. He shrugged.

"Must be mentality."

"Joker!"

His Buddy gave a hearty laugh, and he saw someone peek inside the kitchen momentarily before ducking back out, noticing the monster. Kiri sighed.

"I should have known better than to ask you about this." He said, pouting slightly. Joker reached towards him, but stopped halfway after looking at his blades.

"I'd give you a pat on the back, but I'm afraid I'm a little too sharp for that." He said. Kiri rolled his eyes.

"I don't want it anyway." Joker feigned a hurt look - one Kiri figured only he would notice - holding a blade to his chest.

"Ouch, _cold_." He fake-sobbed. "Master Miserea has become so cynical since waking up."

"I can't help it, it's the only way to deal with you."

Joker laughed again, using the back of his blade to guide his hands on a particularily difficuly portion. Once the icing was finished, Kiri pulled over the large bowl of candies, placing them in organized rows along the roof and walls.

Less than ten minutes later, his work was done, and he placed the plastic cover over the dish where the gingerbread house sat. He leaned back in his chair, breathing outa sigh of relief, and sat there staring at it.

"I need to get ready." He said, pushing away from the table and standing up. He waited for Joker to follow, giggling as the monster struggled slightly to get out of his seat. "Remind me to grab the cake from the fridge before we leave."

"The one you made for the party."

"Yup."

 **.**

He arrived at the Mikado household ten minutes early, finding it easier to fly over than he expected in the cold weather. Before he could ring the doorbell, there was a tug on his hood. He looked up to find Joker peering down at him.

"Even if you don't grow with them, I don't think your friends will see you any differently." He said, and Kiri had to think for a moment before remembering their conversation from earlier. "You're Kiri, and that's all that matters to them."

Kiri stared at him, feeling a certain warmth welling up inside him. He smiled, nodding to his Buddy, and turned back to the door.

Balancing the box in his hands, he rung the doorbell, stepping back and waited patiently. Almost immediately the sound of footsteps was heard, and not a second later the door flew open, a familiar brunet smiling widely at him. He held up the box, returning the smile.

"Merry Christmas, Gao!"

 **.**

A/N: It wasn't until the end that I realized I left out a rather important part of the conversation - namely, Kiri asking if his birthday was really on Christmas and questioning how Joker managed to fraud a birth certificate - but by then it was past the point of no return. Besides, I think it turned out fine.

I said I'm doing three fics this year, but most likely only two of them will go up on this site, since the third doesn't even have a category yet (really waiting on that anime release, TsukiPro). So It'll probably go up somewhere else and I'll just link it on my profile.


End file.
